Kyrgyz President Removes Close Ally From Top Security Post

In a surprising move, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov dismissed his once-close ally Kamchybek Tashiev from his posts as head of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) and deputy head of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Presidential Administration announced Tuesday.

The administration said three of Tashiev’s deputies were also dismissed.

Japarov’s press secretary said the President acted “in the interest of the state,” and to “prevent a split in society, including between government structures, but on the contrary, to strengthen unity,” according to Kaktus news outlet.

Tashiev has not commented on his dismissal.

He was appointed GKNB head in October 2020, shortly after Japarov was released from prison following the uprising. Since then, Kyrgyzstan’s security service has become one of the country’s most powerful state institutions, overseeing numerous arrests of journalists and activists.

The dismissal was unexpected. In a recent documentary about Japarov, Tashiev said, “only death can separate him from his friendship with Sadyr Japarov,,” adding that their shared goals and paths were unbreakable despite efforts by others to divide them.

Their alliance dates back to the 2010s and was shaped by joint opposition activities in parliament. In 2012, they were detained while trying to climb the White House fence during a rally calling for the nationalization of Kyrgyzstan’s Kumtor gold deposit.

Japarov was later freed from prison on the night of October 5-6, 2020, by supporters including Tashiev, amid protests following parliamentary elections.